We said last time that this story was not so much about the great fish as about the great God. We see that immediately here and throughout this passage as Jonah tries to flee from the Lord but the Lord will not let him go.
And so we have a story of '3 throws'. Firstly, the LORD throws a storm upon the sea. This is no ordinary storm; the experienced sailors know that and are in real fear. They try to fight off the storm by praying to their gods and throwing the cargo overboard. But it quickly becomes apparent that the real problem is Jonah and they won't get out of this one until he is dealt with. They refuse at first but then reluctantly agree to throw him overboard. And when they do, the storm subsides and they fear the LORD.
This is an amazing scene, exciting, ironic and so full of interest. But it is also crammed full of lessons for us to learn and benefit from.
1. Sin Does Not Pay
The LORD will not allow Jonah to get away with his rebellion. He is never indifferent to our sin. And notice that our sin is seldom if ever a purely private thing; it will have an impact on others too, however directly or indirectly (the sailors are put in peril because of Jonah's sin).
[Incidentally, it's worth noticing that pagans can sometimes act better than true believers. The way the sailors act here is to be admired. True, we see the emptiness of their religion and its impotency but we also see here their concern for Jonah - they'd rather get him to land than throw him overboard. That's more than Jonah would do for Ninevah!]
2. There is a love that will not let us go!
Jonah has rebelled against God in the most daring and provocative way. How will the Lord deal with him? Let him go on his way and never let him back? No. His grace is such that he will not let his children go. He may allow us to go on in our sinful ways for a time but his commitment to us is such that he will do whatever it takes to get us back.
And he is also committed to Ninevah. We may lack compassion and, like Jonah, we may turn our backs. But the LORD is well able to make us see the error of our ways and stop us in our tracks.
Here, he does so by the exercise of his power in bringing the storm and terrifying the sailors. In Ancient Near East religions, the sea was a powerful monster but in truth we see here that it is at the LORD's command.
3. We are made to face up to our sins.
Jonah seems to have no trouble with his conscience as he goes aboard and settles down in the hold. Perhaps he's exhausted through mental and spiritual fatigue.
But he's in for a shock! The Captain wakes him up and tells him to pray to his God!! That's the last thing Jonah wants to do! If we regard sin in our hearts, we know the LORD will not hear us if we pray. But we also know that when we sin and persist in that rebellion, the desire to pray is not there and praying for help is the last thing we feel able to do (we feel it is just so hypocritical).
Do you see how the LORD is making Jonah face his sin? He's happy enough to sleep in sin but the LORD wakes him up! How often has he done that with you and me? Sin is so dangerous; it is so soporific in a spiritual sense, it deadens us to spiritual realities and concerns. And in his mercy the LORD deals with that.
4. Even in sin, the believer knows who he is & whose he is
When they tackle Jonah about which God he's running from and what he's done to offend him, Jonah's answer is very instructive. He cannot deny the reality of the LORD nor can he deny the fact that he belongs to him.
Although his claim to 'fear' the God of heaven seems a bit weak, yet he is still testifying to a relationship with the living Lord. He knows that he belongs to the covenant people, that the god he fears is the true God of heaven and that he rules over all things, land and sea included. That is quite some declaration!
Surely there is hope here.
5. The seriousness of sin demands atonement.
Sin is serious and needs to be dealt with. Even pagan sailors know that and reluctantly come to the conclusion that they must sacrifice Jonah to appease his God. And when they throw him overboard, the sea is immediately calmed.
Although the Lord in his grace is willing to have us back when we have sinned against him, it is always on the basis that our sin is atoned for. And the table we will sit around this evening reminds us just how our sin has been atoned for and the just anger of God turned away. It is not through our self-sacrifice but through the giving of the very Son of God, our Lord Jesus.
Remember this as you come to the table tonight: Jesus went in the opposite direction to Jonah; he fully embraced the will of god, at the greatest personal cost. And because he did so as the sinless one, he has stilled the storm of God's anger against us, once and for ever.
The sailors tried to take Jonah back to land - but you can't just turn the clock back on sin. It must be atoned for. And decisive atonement has been made, for all our sins. Praise God!
What that means is this: there is a way back for each and every one of us from the dark places where we try to sleep away our rebellion. And the way back is the way we first came to the Lord: by the blood of Jesus, freely shed for us.
And it is not just us who benefit from the great compassion and mercy of the Lord. The sailors who witness this great event "greatly feared the LORD and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him".
I'm not suggesting that they were saved but a deep impression has been made on them about this God, Yahweh. They have been shaken and perhaps awakened. Who knows where things went from there?
And in our lives, as we experience the renewing grace of God, the marvellous patience and dedicated love of the Lord, who knows whether others may not be blessed too? Surely it is right for us to pray that they will be.
